Key Aspects of Teaching and Learning in the Visual Arts

Book Chapter

Alison Shreeve

Research Interests

My research interests include students' and tutors' experience of teaching and learning in the arts, with a social practice emphasis.

Current Research

I have a PhD in Educational Research from the University of Lancaster. My thesis explores the role of the practitioner who also teaches, looking specifically at the variation in the experience they have of the relationship between practice and teaching. I examine the contextual factors of past histories of development individuals bring to their two work environments and the interactions within and between these two environments that help to influence their experience. The variation in the relationship between practice and teaching can influence the kinds of learning experiences students have in art and design F/HE.

I use a phenomenographic approach to the research in order to explore variation in practice/ teaching relations and activity theory as a heuristic to consider the different work contexts and the relationship between them as experienced by practitioner tutors. This enables us to understand how practice/ teaching relations are experienced and also to examine possible contextual factors in relation to variation. I also consider the role of identity as an important and often overlooked aspect of research using these approaches and I include a discussion of identity as a particular way to understand individuals working within and across different activities.

Shan Wareing

Dr Shan Wareing is Dean of Learning & Teaching Development & Head of the Centre for Learning & Teaching in Art & Design at the University of the Arts London.
She has a BA in English Language and Literature from Oxford University, an MLitt and PhD from Strathclyde University in Linguistics, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education Studies from the Institute of Education She is a Fellow of the Staff and Educational Development Association. She has taught in Higher Education since 1989 in the fields of English Literature, Language and Linguistics, English for Academic Purposes, Study Skills, and Learning and Teaching.
She has worked in pre-92 and post-92 universities, and in Wales, Scotland and England. She has also worked as a visiting professor in linguistics at Michigan State University, USA, and taught English for Academic Purposes in Japan, as well as working for shorter periods in Georgia, Spain and Germany.